Theories:Powers

This article will archive all of the published and fan theories that exist for powers from Heroes.

For help on adding theories, see the Help section.

Intuitive aptitude

Theory	Citations	Notes
Sylar's abilities may extend beyond just figuring out systems and objects. His intuitive analysis may extend to figuring out "clues" about people and things—a sort of super-Sherlock Holmes level of observation and intuition.	When Sylar is first imprisoned in his cell and being questioned by Mr. Bennet, he seems to quickly figure out who Claire is—that she is the cheerleader he wanted, that she is Bennet's daughter, etc. (Fallout)	+ Given that he was previously misled as to the cheerleader's identity (Homecoming), it is hard to explain how he suddenly came to these conclusions about Claire, much less her name. If this theory proves true, Sylar figured this out by watching Bennet as they were talking and picking up on intuitive clues, bits of data he did not have before he could "observe" Bennet. He did say that he can figure out what makes people "tick". - An alternative is that Sylar possesses some other telepathic ability similar to Matt Parkman's and was reading Bennet's mind. This seems less likely, however—especially since the Haitian can easily block such abilities. + Sylar's "native" power of intuition may have been much harder to suppress, and he could still use it even while imprisoned. If his powers were slowly coming back to him after being captured, it may make sense that his first ability was also the first to return and be usable. Also, the Haitian's blocking ability seems to work best against powers that require concentration, and Sylar's intuitive aptitude may be something he does unconsciously. - Sylar probably learned about Claire from Chandra and his research. Chandra had a photo of Claire and even contacted Mr. Bennet concerning the possibility of her being an evolved human.
Sylar might be able to "fix" himself on a molecular level.	Sylar recovers rapidly from bullet wounds. (Road Kill)	+ This could also explain how he acquires powers. He adds other evolved human's DNA to his, which would make him sick, unless he could integrate it into his own. + This could also explain how Sylar recovered from being drugged by Mohinder. While it originally impaired the parts of his brain required to use his telekinesis, he soon figured out what exactly it was doing to his brain, and figured out a way to avoid the effects until his telekinesis recovered enough to turn off the IV. - This would also mean that he would be able to heal himself, and therefore wouldn't need Claire's powers. - Sylar hasn't received any fatal wounds so far, so he could have just healed naturally.
It is quite possible that this ability is what allows Sylar to "absorb" the powers of his victims, removing their brains and analyzing them in order to see how the power works and is manifest, his brain then adjusting itself to accommodate this.	Sylar makes a neat incision to remove his victim's brains. (Seven Minutes to Midnight, Homecoming, Parasite) Sylar has mentioned seeing how his victim's powers work as he attacks (Six Months Ago, Parasite)	• Were Sylar merely ingesting the brains, such a precise incision would not be necessary. • While this self-adjusting could be explained by his telekinetic abilities, that would not explain how he acquired Brian Davis's telekinetic powers in the first place. While Mr. Bennet confirmed that Sylar has multiple abilities, it was implied that he had only one "innate" ability, suggesting that a non-superpowered method was used to acquire Davis's powers. + The brain constructs new neural pathways as it learns new things. Often this process is slow and takes repeatability, and over time those neural connections become shorter and more efficient. With Sylar's ability, those neural pathways construct and reconfigure instantly, just by looking at an object. Since he already has the DNA for an evolved human, such automatic reconstruction in his brain may be all that's needed to acquire a new power instantly and with a large degree of mastery.
Intuitive aptitude, contrary to our current understanding, may only actually involve the understanding of individuals and their biological workings.	None	• Although Sylar was able to point out the problems with Chandra's watch, this may just be through his expertise as a watch maker. The term "to see how things work" may just be used as a gimmick, and not literal to everything that has a structure. + The dossier mentions his ability to understand the biological workings; the absorption of Charlie's power may explain why he is able to adapt to his new powers relatively quickly, often exhibiting greater control over them than their original owner. - Sylar has mentioned several times that he just has an understanding of how things work. When he says this he says so in a general sense.

Isaac's paintings

Theory	Citations	Notes
Isaac's paintings show what might happen, not what will happen.	Minor inconsistencies in the outcomes of the paintings indicate they may be less-than-perfect. (See Prophecy for examples and citations.)	+ For the most part, every event that Isaac has painted has come true - albeit not exactly as envisioned. + For example, Isaac experiences a vision and sees Claire fall down alone on the steps. (Collision) Later, because of Isaac's paintings, Peter is there to help Claire up and see her to safety. (Homecoming) Given the speed at which Peter is running (he is with Claire just as she falls), he should have been in the painting too if Isaac had seen a predetermined event. + Another minor inconsistency is in the painting of Hiro and the Dinosaur: in the painting, Hiro's sword is unsheathed, while in reality, the replica sword was sheathed. Whether this event will ever appear exactly as depicted is not yet clear. • In a blog post, Greg Beeman noted that the inconsistencies in the Homecoming paintings arose because the scenes had not yet been filmed when Tim Sale painted the paintings. He usually creates the paintings using photos from the filming, leading them to be very precise reflections of one another. However, paintings made prior to filming sometimes depict events that can't be filmed exactly as depicted. • The only instances when Isaac's paintings have been shown to be inaccurate have been as a result of some of the people involved having viewed the paintings, suggesting that the paintings were accurate at the time that they were painted, but the events were altered by people changing their actions after seeing the paintings.
Isaac's paintings are eyewitness testimony of what he saw in his vision.	Isaac sees the events unfold as he paints them. (Collision) Isaac paints Peter's location repeatedly, but fails to paint an invisible Peter. (Distractions)	+ Eyewitness testimony is infamously fallible. Isaac paints Hiro with a sword, facing a dinosaur. What he missed in that moment was that the dinosaur was not actually alive and the sword was not naked. He painted what he could remember of the flash of vision. Many of Isaac's paintings are ambiguous. Some paintings from the Homecoming Series have been misinterpreted because of their equivocal nature. + Isaac tries to find Peter using his paintings but is only able to paint a series of landscapes. It is not until the end of the episode that he realizes his paintings did show where Peter was, but that Peter (because of Claude's presence) was invisible. Since Isaac couldn't see Peter in the visions, this seems to support this theory that Isaac's visions are subject to normal visual limitations. (Distractions) • Isaac's eyes glaze over when he paints. This could represent him being somewhere else, or could show that he is no longer using his eyes, painting with his mind with seemingly no control.
Isaac paints in a fugue state and is not aware of the content of his paintings while creating them.	None.	+ Isaac paints Peter's location but is not aware until afterwards that Peter was invisible. (Distractions) He appears to need to study his paintings afterwards in order to derive meaning from them, as he needs to notice Peter's footprints to find him.

Liquefaction

Theory	Citations	Notes
After an object melts, it re-solidifies.	Shadows and gaps are visible under some of the "puddles" in Zane Taylor's home where they don't meet the tarp, and some of them have thick, rounded edges. (Run!)	+ This may change the definition of the power further, to "the ability to disassemble an object's molecular structure." • This could be simply a prop mistake.
Organic matter cannot be liquified.	Zane's body was shown completely un-liquified. (Run!)	+ He was on tarps so Sylar may have tried to liquify but could not. - Zane may have been immune to his own power, just as those with invisibility are immune to invisibility effects they have on others, and those who can create fire or radiation are not burned, and those who can stop time are not themselves stopped. • Zane's brain was already removed, and thus if Zane's power and his immunity to his power were housed in his brain, Zane wouldn't have been protected from being liquified if Sylar so chose to do so. - There were tarps everywhere, it was likely just that there were already tarps in the room that he was killed in. Sylar had no reason to care about making a mess of Zane Taylor's home. - Sylar might not have been intended by the writers to liquify Zane's body as he would need Zane's DNA for Mohinder later.
If Zane got a sword, and liquefaction was reversible, then, with sufficient training, he can morph the blade into several different shapes depending on the necessary occasion.	None.	- Zane is dead. + Sylar may be able to do this, assuming he gets the sword from Hiro. • Or a different sword.

Powers

Theory	Citations	Notes
All evolved human powers are manifestations or variations on the classic psychic abilities of telepathy, telekinesis, and extra-sensory perception (ESP).	According to Chandra Suresh, all powers appear to originate from a particular mutation in the brain. (Six Months Ago)	+ If true, enhanced strength and regeneration are manifestations of telekinesis; mental manipulation is a variant of telepathy; precognition and electronic data transception are types of ESP, etc. + Sylar, using his ability to discern how things work, identifies the brain as the source of powers, and takes powers after opening up the brain, including super-hearing which would normally be associated with the ears. When Claire's brain is damaged, she is unable to regenerate until the stick is removed. + This idea is supported by the Haitian's ability to negate other evolved humans' powers. Given the fact that an evolved human can only possess one innate power, his must involve mental manipulation as shown by his ability to remove memories. Therefore, because he can prevent the use of powers, they themselves must be mental or psychic.
All evolved humans have the same power, they just manifest different aspects of it.	None.	+ Both Peter Petrelli and Sylar are able to acquire seemingly any power. The underlying core power may be a special connection with a different level of reality, with the ability to both sense more and to manipulate reality under the control of the mind. - A counter to this is that when Sylar is jailed, it is suggested he has DNA for telekinesis. This contradicts Chandra Suresh's belief that they all share the same mutation. It could be that the same genetic mutation can manifest itself in different ways for different people. • This could be a scripting mistake, as Sylar acquired his powers from Brian Davis. On the other hand, Mr Bennet states that Sylar has been altering his DNA, raising the question of why his other acquired powers did not show themselves in his DNA. - Mohinder tells Nathan that Peter's specific DNA allows him to mimic the abilities of others. His choice of words -- "specific" -- indicates that Peter's DNA is unique, and has a different power from everyone else. (The Fix) :• It could be that the genes are at first ambiguous and capable of manifesting into anything, before the power actually manifesting causes them to become "specific". (See two theories down, especially the notes concerning Nathan and D.L.)
Children of evolved humans are likely to have powers, and they manifest them at an earlier age than "first generation" evolved humans.	Micah Sanders and Claire Bennet discovered their powers at an earlier age than the other powered characters. (Nothing to Hide, Six Months Ago)	+ Micah and Claire each have two parents with powers. • Molly Walker's father presumably had powers (he was on the List and targeted by Sylar), she too has powers. Sanjog Iyer's parents are unknown. Not enough is known about Simon and Monty Petrelli to determine the power status of children with only one powered parent. Although, Molly appears to be the child of only one powered parent, and has also manifested powers early. + In a possible future, Matt's child is implied to be an evolved human.
Natural-born super powers are a result of evolution and adaptation being influenced by the subconscious whims of the subject. In short, a person gets an ability that helps them in their day-to-day life, based on what they (either consciously or subconsciously) think they need.	None.	+ Peter's empathy would be useful in an occupation (nurse) that depends on feeling and healing the suffering of others. + Nathan first manifested his flight power when he needed a fast escape. + Matt's telepathy could be useful for a cop and a man who struggles in knowing what he should say to people. + Niki vocally expressed her desire to be two people and her worries about being strong enough for her son several times. + D.L.'s ability to phase through matter would certainly be useful for a man in prison seeking escape. + Sylar's ability to understand how complex systems work would be a boon to any watchmaker. + Additionally, Tim Kring has stated in interviews that the character's powers are reflections of their personalities. + Charlie was a waitress and her powers of memorization would greatly assist her in taking and delivering orders. + Hiro's power first manifested when he was trying to 'will' the train into not arriving, and he did succeed in making it late.
The Company doesn't "give" people powers, but can, through training, give them more control over their powers.	Matt Parkman had already experienced telepathy prior to his first known abduction (Don't Look Back), and is on the list. (Homecoming) Isaac was able to paint the future without heroin shortly after his stay with the Company. (Fallout)	+ Hiro hasn't been to the Company, so his control is dwindling. His later reacquisition of his powers could be said to show that the Company does not have a monopoly on power-refinement techniques. + Peter, with the help of Claude, a former Company "employee", was able to control the many abilities he absorbed. • Perhaps there is a natural limitation on the frequency with which one can use their powers, and the radioactive isotope injected into their blood has been found to counteract this limitation.
The powers are designed by a higher power.	None.	+ There are many references to religion in Heroes. For example, many of the characters are named after biblical figures. Also, Chandra Suresh's door is number 613, a holy number in the old testament. + The creators of the show have also hinted that there's a supernatural element to the character's powers. Tim Kring studied divinity in school, and Joe Pokaski and Aron Coleite have commented on the preponderance of Biblical names. - However, religious symbolism doesn't necessarily imply a religious cause.
All powers are actually physical manifestations of emotions.	None.	+ Peter Petrelli is referred to as an empath. He exhibits traditional empathic abilities. The mimicking of powers is just an expression of his empathy of the feeling. + Ted Sprague uses anger to control his power. + Nathan Petrelli seems to only fly when scared - especially when it first triggered. + Claire Bennet may have healing triggered through pain. • The other characters may be using different emotions to get to their powers, though there are many powers that this doesn't seem to fit for--D.L.'s phasing, Micah's technopathy, etc.
All powers also have compensatory secondary abilities that make their use survivable and usable.	Meredith is unharmed by her own fire. (Distractions) Ted is unharmed by his own radiation. (Company Man) Nathan seems immune to the air pressure and wind sheer effects of supersonic flight. (Hiros)	+ Claude's invisibility would also render him blind, as it would make his retinas unable to refract light. He possesses some kind of compensatory mechanism in order to see, which is what allows Peter to see him. + Hiro and apparently Peter negate the effects of the lack of molecular motion which would result from suspending time which would theoretically cause absolute zero temperatures. + This would also explain why changes can be seen when time is frozen. This is because if time stopped, the motion of the light waves would also stop, meaning everything would look the same even if it was different, simply because the light would not yet have been able to reflect off of the objects under the new circumstances.
Twins have the same or similar powers.	None.	+ Twins (in popular culture) are closely connected both genetically and emotionally and generally share similar traits, even when separated. • As we have yet to see any twins in the series, this remains untested.
Powers are the result of a virus.	None.	+ Viruses alter DNA, and transposons literally can cut and paste genetic material and have had a large impact on evolution. 40% of human evolution is the result of transposons. The long incubation time in some viruses could mean mutation caused in such a way wouldn't manifest until late in life in the first generation, and late childhood/early teens in the second generation. + Many virus have a single strand DNA/RNA code. And had been stated that the "Symbol" represent a single RNA helix. + A virus could preferredly infect brain cells, and that is why Sylar need to "eat" them. - There has so far been no suggestion that abilities can be transferred to another through infection. Nor has it been confirmed that Sylar eats brains (and, at the risk of sounding unencyclopaedic, it would be really dumb if he did).
Abilities are passed on maternally.	None.	+ Nathan's two sons have yet to show any abilities, yet Micah and Claire, both children of mothers with abilities, have. - It could be simply that somebody is more likely to demonstrate abilities if both parents are powered than if just one is. - Molly's father was apparently her only powered parent, yet she manifested her power just as early as Micah, who had two.
Animals may develop powers as well.	None.	+ In this show, all around the world, humans are evolving and developing extraordinary abilities. It wouldn't seem much of stretch to say that other species are not part of this evolutionary process. - According to evolutionary theory, a new feature originates in a particular branch of the evolutionary "tree" and spreads only in descendants of its originators; it does not jump from one branch of the tree to another. Since superhuman powers originated in the human branch of the tree, it should not appear in others. - Evolutionarily speaking, animals should have developed similar abilities. Convergent evolution is the reason why the eye has evolved over seven times independently. If these abilities are possible, they're also possible for animals. However, many of these abilities would probably cause the animals that possesses them to die before they reached sexual maturity, such as those of Sprague or Claire's mother. Other abilities, like technopathy and Hana Gitelman's ability, would have been completely useless, and therefore there would have experienced no selective pressure in the gene pool.
Ando, Simone, Charles Deveaux and Mohinder all have undiscovered powers.	None.	+ Everyone in Peter's dreams are already pre-existing known empowered individuals, with the particular exception -- thus far -- of these three. - Simone has died, but it is possible she had an undiscovered power. - Tim Kring has stated that neither Ando nor Mohinder will ever get a power.
No two living evolved humans have the same power.	The only evolved humans to have more than one power are Peter and Sylar but technically they have other evolved humans' powers.	+ So far, no two heroes have shown the same power. + Chandra's research may refer to different variations of the same power, not the exact same one.
The gene which controls the development of a power within an individual's brain is a recessive one. Therefore, any child of two powered parents should have powers, as well.	None.	+ Niki and D.L. both have powers, and their son Micah has his own power. + Both Meredith, Claire's mother and Nathan, Claire's father, have powers, thus Claire has a power of her own. + The two sons that Nathan has had with Heidi, his wheelchair-bound wife (who is not an evolved human), do not possess any known powers. - There are only two such cases featured in the series thus far that can be used in evidence to support this theory (see above).
Certain powers, requiring the manipulation of external forces, can be shared with another person through a touch.	Claude was able to make Peter invisible as he was being chased by Mohinder and Nathan by touching him directly. (The Fix) Peter was able to do the same thing to Claire to escape the FBI. (Landslide) D.L. was able to use his phasing power to move himself and Niki through walls. (Landslide) Hiro was able to teleport himself and Ando by touching him. (Parasite)

Rapid cell regeneration

Theory	Citations	Notes
With frequent use, this power renders the user to be able to feel only minimal pain, if not no pain at all.	None.	+ In almost all cases of Claire regenerating herself, she has exhibited little or no signs of visible pain. However, due to Peter Petrelli's infrequent use of his regeneration powers, he feels pain whenever he is sufficiently injured. (i.e. Sylar's attempted headcutting in .07%; Peter shrieks in pain - compare to Sylar's headcutting in Five Years Gone, where Claire does not show any visible signs of pain) + Pain is a warning system for the body. Perhaps her body "knows" that it is not in any real danger, so it has ceased to use the sensation of pain. - Claire screams "Ow!" when Lyle staples her. (Nothing to Hide) + Claire could very well have said "Ow!" out of shock/surprise rather than out of any real pain. This is furthered by the fact that she showed barely any pain at having her hand mangled by a garbage disposal unit. (Genesis) - Claire showed that she was in pain through her facial expression when she grabbed the extremely hot muffin tray. (Better Halves) • Claire didn't even feel the Rib sticking out of her side until Zach pointed it out to her. + She also showed an expression of boredom on her face rather than one of pain when she pushed the rib back in. • It is possible that the effect is psychological. Claire knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that pain is temporary, so she has unconsciously learned to ignore it.

Rift

Theory	Citations	Notes
Rifts are holes in space and time, caused by paradoxes and other conflicts in causality.	Future Hiro states he risks causing a rift by returning to the past. (Hiros)	+ Hiro would have created a causality paradox by going into the past (i.e. if he saves Charlie from Sylar, he never has a reason to go back and save her), which could theoretically create a rift--possibly explaining his sudden return to the present. Hiro has not been able to fully access his powers since. This is also one common definition of a temporal rift in science-fiction literature. The fact that he kept his message ("Save the cheerleader, save the world") ambiguous supports the fact that Future Hiro was trying his best to alter the past without creating a paradox.
Rifts interfere with the abilities of time-travelers, either by leaving time-travelers unable to use their powers or by creating points in time they cannot travel to.	Future Hiro speaks of rifts as something to be avoided. (Hiros)	+ Also, Hiro's powers do not function properly after his trip to the past to save Charlie.
Rifts are not portals in space and time.	None.	+ While a rift, in science fiction literature, can refer to either a portal in space/time or a wound in space/time, it seems clear by the context of Future Hiro's remarks that they are using the latter sense of the word as rifts are suggested to be a bad thing.
Hiro may have experienced a rift when he tried to go back in time to prevent Charlie's murder.	After Hiro and Charlie confess their love for each other and are about to kiss, Hiro abruptly and unexpectedly jumps through time to the present. (Six Months Ago)	+ He later told Ando that he tried repeatedly to go back to save Charlie, but couldn't. In theory, space-time spontaneously corrected itself to keep Hiro from creating a causality paradox; he could not do anything in the past that would keep him from having a reason to go to the past.

Space-time manipulation

Theory	Citations	Notes
There is some kind of higher-power/cosmic authority that prevents Hiro from creating paradoxes.	When Hiro seems on the verge of saving Charlie and thus causing a causality paradox, he returns unexpectedly to the present. (Six Months Ago)	+ Hiro's forced return to Present-Day Japan and inability to use his powers to go back and make further attempts to save Charlie Andrews suggest that something is blocking his ability to go back to that specific point in space time. + Also, Future Hiro has to get someone else to go back to present-day Odessa to save Claire rather than taking matters into his own hands, perhaps due to his inability to return to that point in space and time due to a rift his past self created.
Hiro's presence in the past manipulates objects, but not people's memories.	Charlie does not recognize Hiro when she first meets him in the present. (Seven Minutes to Midnight)	+ Charlie still had a Japanese phrasebook in the present after Hiro gave it to her in the past. Yet Charlie did not seem to remember Hiro when he first came to Odessa in the present nor did any of Hiro's co-workers at the diner recognize him despite his having worked there six months earlier. The change in the photograph of Charlie's birthday party also shows an object recording a historical event that nobody remembered. - However, when Ando shows the photo to Lynette, she does recognize Hiro, telling him "they were tight". This suggests the common comic book device of a second time dimension - the timeline is changed only "after" the time-traveler goes back in time to change them. • However, this would raise the question of who gave Charlie the Japanese phrase book "before" Hiro traveled back in time. This suggests that the timeline can be changed, but not in a way that would give the time-traveller no reason to travel back in time (which would create a paradox).
There is no predestination in the world of Heroes.	Hiro's trip to the past appears to have actually changed past events from his perspective. (Six Months Ago)	+ If Hiro's trip to the past to try and save Charlie were meant to have happened, then all of his former co-workers at the diner (to say nothing of Charlie herself) should have recognized Hiro when he came into the diner for the first time, six months after he had been working there. + From a writing stand-point, it doesn't make sense for Hiro and Isaac to have the powers that they do if they cannot use those powers to change future events. • However, although some events can be changed, it seems that others (such as Charlie's death at the hands of Sylar) are immutable. + Future Hiro's trip to the past allowed Claire to live five years longer following Sylar's first attempt to kill her. This shows that the timestream can be altered. (Five Years Gone)
Hiro's power is prevented from creating a causality paradox by not allowing him to change anything in the past which would prevent him from making the trip in the first place.	When future Hiro spoke with Peter, he said that Peter was the only one who could help. (Hiros)	+ Hiro went back to talk to Peter, because when performing a time-stop, if he enters the same vicinity as Peter, Peter will unintentionally mimic the time-stop. This will allow Hiro to speak with Peter, because Peter's power maintains the time-stop. Hiro's may normally stop, and return him to his own time, but Peter isn't creating a causality paradox, because he hasn't traveled back in time, merely stopped time, thus allowing a loophole in Hiro's apparent causality paradox prevention system.
Hiro's ability is the cause of others' abilities, by transporting himself or someone else into the past. It would represent a closed loop.	None.
A person with the power of space-time manipulation cannot have their memories altered by a change in their own personal timeline. In short, they are immune to the effects of a paradox changing time and if a person changes the past, their own memories will of what things were like before the change remain unaltered.	Future Hiro traveled back to talk to Peter to tell him what to do to save Claire. (Hiros) Future Hiro must have figured that Peter, who could copy his power, would remain immune to the affects of any paradox Future Hiro caused by going back in time to deliver the warning. Future Hiro's memories of what the Dark Future was like before he went to talk to Peter remained unchanged, though some details about the past did change. (Five Years Gone)	This would explain why Future Hiro needed to find an exact point to talk to Peter, before they "met for the first time" in the Dark Future. It would also explain why he chose Peter - who he knew would gain his power and become similarly immune to the effects of paradox.